Courtyard houses: Those who are capable are rewarded, and many children bring many blessings.

Chen Xia insisted on coming out so that they could see and say what she wanted.

I've had enough of living without a man to support me at home. Men are creatures you can have and not use, but you can't live without them, even if you have to borrow one.

Especially in rural areas during this era.

In a family-based village like Niujiazhuang, it's a bit better; at least there's still some semblance of kinship. Try putting it in a larger town or village, though.

For a young and beautiful widow like Chen Xia, either the township officials would help her find a new husband, or she would be taken advantage of by a wealthy family in the village.

Chen Xia wasn't annoyed at all, and even said loudly, "What's wrong with my walking posture? You guys try to hold it in for a few years, and you'll definitely be worse than me."

The lead sheep is indeed the lead sheep; even on the kang (heated brick bed), he's not someone an ordinary man can compare to.

Chen Xia felt relieved.

Sisters Qin Yueru and Qin Ningru were not in a good mood.

Yesterday, the two sisters returned to their parents' home in style with thirty kilograms of white flour. Their parents were very happy, especially Qin Deshan's family (Qin Huairu's parents' home).

They didn't know the actual situation; all they knew was that both daughters had married and moved to the city, and the younger daughter had even brought back fine grains when she visited her parents. How could they not be happy?

The Qin family, which is also Ningru's family, knew what had happened to the two sisters. They weren't happy about it, but they accepted the reality.

That night, Qin's mother slept in the annex with Ningru and asked her about everything from clothing and food to housing and transportation, just in case she felt her second daughter was being mistreated.

On the morning of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, the mother and daughter were chatting and making breakfast when they were cornered at home by their fifth uncle, Qin Deshou, along with Qin Xiuru and Qin Fangru.

Qin Xiuru is two years younger than Ningru, and after the New Year, she will be an 18-year-old young woman.

Meiru, who turned 16 by Chinese New Year, has grown into a graceful young lady.

As soon as Qin Deshou entered the gate, he started shouting, "Fourth Sister-in-law, all four of my older sisters have married and gone to the city to enjoy their lives. You can't just abandon these three of me!"

After saying that, she shouted at her two daughters: "Don't you have any sense? Hurry up and go help with the cooking. Whether you two sisters can live a good life depends entirely on your fourth aunt."

"Let them do it. Where's my fourth brother? Let's go inside and talk."

Upon hearing his fifth brother's voice, Qin Defu had already gotten off the kang (a heated brick bed) and stood at the door: "What are you shouting about? Come inside and talk."

"Hehe, Fourth Brother, you know I've always had a loud voice since I was a kid." With that, the two brothers went inside.

As soon as Qin Deshou entered, he praised, "Fourth Brother, you have such a far-sighted vision and you're so good at judging people. Look at Xue Ru's husband, he's only been in the city for two years, and he's already capable of protecting the people in their village."

These words made Qin Laosi feel quite embarrassed; this girl's son-in-law was a bit too capable.

The two brothers simultaneously took out their pipes, puffing on them as they talked.

"Fifth brother, it's not that I don't want to help you, but I'm starting to regret it now. Both of your daughters have married so far away; it's like I raised them for nothing."

"Hey, Fourth Brother, we've been farming for half our lives. Can't you see what the situation is this year? It's hard to say whether there will be a drought in the spring, but the summer grain harvest will definitely be reduced this year!"

"Yes, last winter not only didn't bring a decent snowfall, but it wasn't as cold as usual either. There are definitely going to be a lot of locusts this year!"

"What kind of mess is Qin Youde making? He has no sense of responsibility at all. Look at Niujiazhuang, they just pay their grain taxes according to their actual output."

So what if they hold a big meeting to criticize the cows for not having grass? Whether they criticize people for lacking awareness or disobeying orders, at least the people in that village aren't starving, and they've achieved something tangible. Look at this village, full of land reclamation and increased production...

Then again, Xiuru is of marriageable age, and Meiru is not young either. If we marry off our two daughters, wouldn't the family be short two mouths to feed?

Qin's mother also came in: "Fifth son, your plan is quite good. Xiuru is of marriageable age, but Meiru is still young!"

"Fourth Sister-in-law, of course Ningru also lives with Xueru. Once people come to Beijing, our daughters will have no shortage of good looks. Maybe someone will take a liking to them, just like Ningru, and they'll marry there."

"Fifth Brother, you don't need to be in such a rush when doing this. You should let Ningru go back and find someone suitable before writing back..."

"Fourth Sister-in-law, I don't like what you're saying. Xue Ru's husband is very capable. Last December, he brought back a donkey cartload of cornmeal for their village. That's over a thousand catties!"

"These two girls are staying at his house, do they really need a bite to eat?"

"You're really shameless. We don't have that kind of face. If you want this to work out, listen to me. Let Ningru and the others go back and look for someone suitable. Once they find someone suitable, write back and then let Xiuru go and meet him." No matter how unhappy Qin's mother was, he was still her son-in-law, and he was the son-in-law of her two daughters.

If the son-in-law's family is doing well, then the daughter will be doing well. Qin's mother understands this. But by arbitrarily adding two people to the son-in-law's family, aren't you competing with your daughter for food?

"Fourth Sister-in-law, if it were like in previous years, this would be a safe and proper way to do things, but this year is special. We don't have much food stored at home, and the summer grain harvest is expected to be reduced. I'm just trying to find a way to feed the children in advance!"

"Everyone in the city has a fixed amount of food every month. Now that Xue Ru has given birth to a son and she doesn't work, she has to spend money to buy expensive food if she wants to eat her fill. Do you think this is reasonable? Why should anyone raise your daughter for you?" When Qin's mother saw that he still wouldn't listen, she became less polite.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Qin's mother continued, "That's one thing, but as for accommodation, Xue Ru's family only has two rooms. The outer room is both a kitchen and a storage room. Where are you going to make Xiuru stay? You know about the young couple's situation; isn't this just adding to their troubles?"

Qin Laowu tapped his pipe: "If your family won't take care of it, I'll go find Yueru from my second brother's family."

"Fifth brother, let me tell you, no matter who you go to, your idea won't work. Just listen to your sister-in-law and let Xiuru wait at home obediently."

Qin Laowu angrily said, "Never mind that," and went to Qin Deshan's house (Qin Huairu's maternal home) with his hands behind his back.

Seeing her father leave in a huff, Xiuru came in, her two long braids reaching her hips swaying: "Fourth Uncle, Fourth Aunt, don't be angry with him. My father was spoiled by you brothers when he was young. He only thinks about what's right for him and doesn't consider whether it's difficult for others."

"Xiuru is a sensible child, so we're not angry. Just you wait, your dad's going to get a nose in the door soon. They're brothers, so it doesn't matter if they benefit from each other or suffer losses, but Niu Dazhuang is their son-in-law, so you can't be so unreasonable."

As they were talking, Ningru brought in breakfast.